The Court of Arbitration for Sport has reserved its ruling after the closed-door hearing in Lausanne between the FSF and the FRMF. Former Senegal international Boukary Dramé called for the final verdict to be respected, whatever it may be.
The CAS closed the doors of its Lausanne hearing without revealing its decision in the dispute between the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) and the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) over the AFCON title. The arbitration panel has reserved its ruling, according to RFI and Jeune Afrique, meaning the title remains pending its publication.
The dispute concerns the final played in Rabat, which ended 1-0 to Senegal after a 17-minute stoppage caused by the Senegalese temporarily leaving the pitch. The CAF Appeal Board then punished Senegal with a 0-3 forfeit on the green carpet under Article 84, awarding the title to Morocco, reports Afrik-Foot. The FSF is now asking the CAS to annul that sanction and restore Senegal’s triumph earned on the pitch.
Two arguments, one ruling
The FSF insists on the effective end of the 90 minutes and extra time, with an initial validation of the score on the pitch, according to Afrik-Foot. Senegal relies on the full completion of the match to challenge the CAF Appeal Board’s decision and demand the restoration of the sporting result.
On the other side, the FRMF bases its defence on the unauthorised abandonment of the pitch by a team under the direction of the refereeing body, again according to Afrik-Foot. The Moroccans rely on that temporary exit, which caused the 17-minute stoppage, to defend the sanction handed down by CAF and the title awarded to Morocco.
Dramé calls for accepting the verdict
Former Lions of Teranga defender Boukary Dramé took a position before the ruling was delivered. “Even if we don’t accept it, it is possible that the title goes to Morocco, which is not what I hope. And if the verdict comes down considering them African champions ahead of CAF and everyone, then we will have to accept it,” he told Morocco World News and Africa Foot.
The former Senegal international thus pleads for respect for the CAS’s final decision, including if it were to confirm the Moroccan title.
A tight schedule before November
The CAS decision is expected before the resumption of the continental qualifiers in November, according to Afrik-Foot. Publication of the final ruling by the Lausanne-based Court of Arbitration for Sport is scheduled by the end of October 2026.
This historic arbitration decision will set a major precedent for CAF disciplinary law, Afrik-Foot stresses. It will settle a dispute born of a 17-minute stoppage in the middle of a final, and of a sanction handed down by the CAF Appeal Board.